There are many situations where it is required to permanently or semi-permanently connect two workpieces where there is access to only one side of the assembly. Examples include the attachment of panels or plates to underlying frames or supports in structures such as aircraft, ships, cars, etc. Arrangements such as captive bolts, blind rivets, rivet nuts etc., may be used in such applications. There are however disadvantages with such arrangements. For example, with rivets and captive nuts, the surface of the panel is interrupted by the head of the rivet or bolt.
Sometimes it is necessary to produce blind joints. A blind joint is a joint where, after the joint has been assembled, the fastener is not visible and/or accessible to observers without damage to the fastener and/or the workpiece, although the fastener may be visible if the workpiece is transparent. These joints are preferred over other types of joints because they hide the appearance of the actual joint itself. Mechanical fasteners, such as nails and screws, can also be used to create joints. Mechanical fasteners are generally easy to use (they require little or no skill), and can be used to produce joints quickly. However, mechanical fasteners by themselves cannot be used to create blind joints. In other words, after a joint has been assembled using mechanical fasteners, those mechanical fasteners are generally exposed and visible. On some pieces, for example, high-quality furniture and trimwork, the appearance of exposed mechanical fasteners such as nails and screws is inappropriate. In other applications, such as electronic circuitry and computer components, the small size and complexity often requires the use of blind joints to fasten the component parts.
Blind joints currently exist, but prior art blind joints require expensive tools, jigs, or fixtures, and are usually difficult to make. Some examples of existing blind joints in furniture and other industries include the mortise-and-tenon joint, half-blind dovetail joint, double-blind dovetail, a dowel joint and a biscuit joint. Another blind joint includes a dowel fastener used in furniture manufacture in which a dowel is inserted into adjoining parts and secured by compression and/or adhesives.
As well known in the prior art, these joints require either considerable machining and skill, in the case of the mortise-and-tenon joint, half-blind dovetail joint, and the double-blind dovetail, or expensive jigs and fixtures, specialized tools and adhesives, in the case of the dowel joint and the biscuit joint.
In addition to the specialized tools, considerable skill is also required to properly make the joints. They also require a considerable amount of time to lay out and prepare the various tools to make the appropriate cuts for these joints. So these prior art joints are time-consuming in two ways: an artisan would require time to practice and develop the necessary skills to produce the joints, and once the artisan has learned the craft of making the joint, actually making the joint itself and, often, allowing the adhesive to cure is time-consuming.